Jewelry and like articles



nrT nn STATES PATENT @TTTCE.

JAMES V. MILLER, OF NElVARK, XE\V JERSEY.

JEWELRY AND LIKE ARTICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part oi Letters Patent No. 307,318, dated October28, 1884.

Application filed May it, 1894.

To (LZZ' [t ite/I1, 11!; Hwy concern Be it known that I, JAMES W.llIiLLER, of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey,have invented a new and useful Ornamental Surface for Jewelry and LikeArticles, which invention is fully set forth in the followingspecification.

This invention consists of a new mode of producing an ornamental surfaceto be applied to articles of jewelry and the new product thus produced.

It consists in the use of thin scales or particles of different-coloredgold, silver, or platinum, which are cut from thin sheets of the metalin irregular forms, and then applied to the surface by soldering.

The mode in which I prefer to carry out my invention is as follows: Thearticle ofjewelry to which the ornamental. surface is to be applied isin the smooth condition in which it commonly comes from the rolls, itbeing already shaped into the desired form. I then take, for instance, athin sheet of platinum, a

thin sheet of red gold, and a thin sheet of.

green gold. 1 then with a shears clip offsmall irregular pieces orflakes from each of these sheets in about equal quantities. I then mixthese different -colored flakes together thoroughly. I then take theseflakes so mixed together and apply them haphazard to the sur face.

The mode 1. usually employ is to take the ordinary solution of borax andwater and dip a camels-hair brush into it, then put the camels-hairbrush among the flakes so mixed to gether, and apply as many of them asadhere to the brush upon the surface of the plate to be ornamented. Thisis continued until the surface of the plate is entirely covered, or somuch of it as it may be desired to cover. I. then sprinklefinely-divided solder in the shape of fine filings over the wholesurface. ll then allow the moisture to dry out of the borax or cause itto do so by gentle heat, alter which heat is applied for the purpose ofmelting the solder, thus perfectly securing the flakes to the surface ofthe article of jewelry in the manner well understood. The article isthen boiled in dilute sulphuric acid to take off the tire coat in theusual way. If it is desired to color the interstices between the flakesof va- (Sprcim nsl ried colors, itcan be done by the usual acid coloringprocess, provided the surface upon which the flakes arelaid is of gold.Of course the gold must be of suflicientfineness to ad mit of thisprocess. If the surface upon which the flakes are laid is of base metal,or of gold of not sufficient fineness to admit of the use of the acidcoloring process, then a similar effect can be produced byelectroplating the whole with gold. By this process silver or otherdesired metal in place of gold can be used to form the surface. \Vhenthe acid process is used, caremust of course be taken to use coloredgold for the flakes that is not liable to be injured by the acid. Thenext step after the application of the acid process is to scratclrbrushthe whole surface of the article. This completes the finish of theportions of the article not covered by the flakes, and also theinterstices between the flakes. The next step is to polish the surfaceof the flakes. This brings out the color of the gold; but at the sametime the contrasts are not very striking. owing to the reflection causedby the polish. For some purposes the process may now be considered.complete, as the effect produced is very beautiful. if it isdesired,however, to produce a strong contrast of color, then a (lead finish ismade over the surface of the flakes by matting, engraving, or otherprocess suit able to produce the desired effect. There the batteryprocess has been used, the piece is iinishcd in a similar manner to whathas been before described, except that the polishing s must of course becarried to a sufficient extent to rub the electro-dcposit of gold orother metal off the surface of the colored flakes. The piece is thencompleted and only has to be rouged and finished in the way wellunderstood. The effect of thus grouping together flakes ofdifferentcolored gold so as to form asurface for an article ofjcwelry ofirregularlyvariegated color is extremely beautiful, and differsradically from any other ornamentation that has been heretofore used ,inthe jew elers art. The effect produced upon the eye where the colors areproperly chosen some what analogous to the iridescent effect familiar inthe opal.

Another mode of carrying out my invention is by using, instead of theflakes, filings of difl'erent-colored metals. Great variations in theeffect can be produced, depending upon the relative fineness andcoarseness of the filings and their variegated color. A very prettyeffect can be produced by using platinum and gold filings only. Theflakes need not be distributed over the surface of the article of 'ewelry so as to be in actual contact with each other. The effect may bevaried by having them sprinkled over the surface at small intervals. Theflakes may vary greatly in size, and the effect is enhanced by their notap proaching regularity in shape. Very beautiful effects may be producedby having a raised polished ornamentation upon a background of thisvariegated flake surface. 7

It will readily be seen that a similar effect to that produced as abovedescribed might be produced by the use of flakes of aluminum l andvarious other metals and combinations of metal, whether base orotherwise, and that surfaces of base metal or of substances other thanmetal might be used to receive the flakes.

. It is also obvious that this invention is appli-

